Shirt holder



SHIRT HOLDER Filed May l5, 1935 www Patented pr. 7, 1936' @NTE STTES ATENT QFFICE SHIRT HOLDER Herman Cohn, Baltimore, Md. Application May 13, 1935, Serial No. 21,263

7 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for holding down the shirt, causing it to maintain a at and neat appearance and preventing its bulging out above the trousers in front. The invention contemplates a device for anchoring the shirt to the trousers.

It will be recognized that at least three important factors should be taken into account in the construction of a shirt holder of this type; rst, it should notI grip the shirt so tightly as to tear the fabric under excessive stress; second, it should permit a limited lateral freedom between the shirt and trousers, yielding to the ilexions of the body without pulling either garment; and third, it should be so constructed that the upper and lower bars remain parallel regardless of the relative lateral displacement of said bars.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a shirt holder that shall embody all the advantages suggested by the above considerations.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawing, which accompanies and forms a part of the following specification, and throughout the several figures of which the same characters of reference have been employed to designate identical parts:

Figure l is a perspective View illustrating the shirt holder in operative relation to the shirt and trousers;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of one form of shirt holder;

Figure 3 is a plan view partly in section of one of the transverse bars;

Figure 4 is a section taken alo-ng the line 4 4 of Figure` 3;

Figure 5 is a plan View of a transverse bar having the sliding detent on the opposite side;

Figure 6 is a similar View showing sliding detents on both sides;

Figure 7 is a front elevation of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 8 is a front elevation of another modification in which the trousers anchor is permanently sewn to the trousers;

Figure 9 is a section taken along the line 9 9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a iront elevation of still another form of the invention; and

Figures 11 and 12 are perspective views of modied forms of shirt holder.

Referring now in detail to the several figures,

and rst adverting to that form of the invention shown in Figures l and 2, the shirt holder oomprises upper and lower transverse bars l and 2, each comprising a U-shaped resilient clip, the shape of which is illustrated in Figures 3, 5 or 6, 5 and reversely arranged so that the open ends of the clips preferably face in opposite directions. The lower transverse bar is suspended from the upper transverse bar by a pair of parallel flexible members 3 and l pivotally connected 10 at the ends of the bars l and 2. Spring elements 5 and G are interposed in the lines of suspension between the upper and lower bars l and 2, the purpose of which is to permit a degree of stretch. Other yielding elements than springs may be sub- 15 stituted without transcending the scope of the invention.

The application of the shirt holder to the garments is illustrated in Figure 1 from which it will be understood that the upper transverse bar frictionally embraces the front edge of the shirt adjacent the zone of the belt or waist line of the trousers while the lower transverse bar grips the inner ply of the outer fly. The relative positions of the upper and lower bars l and 2 is such as to prevent the shirt from creeping up from within the trousers and bulging over the waist line.

n the normal activities of the body, there is relative lateral movement between the trousers and shirt front which must be accommodated by the shirt holder. This is accomplished primarily by the arrangement of the elements of the shirt holder in the form of a jointed parallelogram as will be obvious from Figure 2, so that the upper and lower transverse bars are free to move laterally with respect to one another without being pulled out of parallel relation to one another. The lateral shifting of the transverse bars from the normal position shown in Figure 2 merely causes slight elongation of the suspending members which is permitted by the springs 5 and l.

Much greater amplitude of relative lateral movement is provided by the construction shown in detail in Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive, and in connection with the other figures, with which its use is optional, in which one or both of the bars is provided with a sliding detent. This detent may be constructed in any desirable manner. In the illustrated example, it comprises a rectangular frame i having an inwardly overhanging flange 8, said frame being suitably secured to the inner face of one of the sides 9 of the clip constituting the transverse bar. A hemispherical or other suitably shapedY projecting member Il] is freely 55 slidable within the frame said projecting member having a base flange II extending beneath the iiange 8 of the frame and by means of which the projecting member is retained within the frame. When the clip is presented to the edge of the shirt the detent will be pushed back to the inner limit of the frame before the shirt will enter between the detent and the opposite side of the clip. Then the shirt enters and is rictionally held by the pressure of the detent.

When the shirt holder is thus attached, the major portion of the front face of the transverse bar will overlie the edge pleat or portion of the shirt in the most desirable position from the standpoint of appearance. The transverse bar which attaches to the fly may be similarly construct-ed and anchored in the same manner. When relative lateral movement between the shirt and trousers occurs, the first effect will be to cause the shirt with the detent IIJ fixedly attached to slip laterally with respect to the transverse bar, the detent sliding toward the outer end of the frame il. it will be understood that during this movement the upper and lower transverse bars have not changed their relative positions. The movement has been solely one of the shirt and the detent together. When this limit of movement has been reached however, any further relative lateral displacement of the shirt and trousers results in the upper and lower transverse bars being relatively laterally displaced, ychangingthe shape of the parallelogram in the manner hereinbeiore described, but without changing the condition of parallelism of the upper and lower transverse bars.

It will be understood that the clip which forms the trousers anchor may be constructed in the same manner or differently from the upper transverse bar, as may be desired, although the maximum advantages of the invention are attained when both of the bars are equipped with the sliding detent.

The employment of the sliding detent saves wear on the shirt, since although the upper transverse bar can be slipped on to the shirt to its full width, the frictional engagement of the shirt with the detent only takes place during the latter part of the movement of the upper transverse bar, the shirt being free from the clamping engagement of the bar until the detent has reached its inwardmost position. Where both sides of the clip are equipped with sliding detents as indicated in Figure 6, wear on the shirt is still further minimized since the lateral shifting of the clip with respect to the shirt takes place with less friction.

Figure 7 shows a modified form of the invention in which the lower transverse bar 2 is suspended from a single chain I2 centrally located and there being a spring link I3 at each end of the chain. In this form of the invention, the advantages growing out of the use of the jointed parallelogram are not present and the transverse bars are more readily pulled out of position of relative parallelism, although the central location of the single suspending element transmits stress to the central parts of the upper and lower transverse bars where they are evenly balanced, and counteracts the tendency of said bars to cant or incline under stress. The bars may be constructed in the form or clips as illustrated in Figures 3 tc 6, being preferably provided with sliding detents, in which case they are as freely laterally displaceable as in the first described form of the invention. The springs in the line of suspension permit longitudinal separation of the upper and lower transverse bars within practical limits without shifting these bars relative to the gar ments to which they are attached.

In Figure 8, is shown a form of the invention in which the lower transverse bar is not formed as a clip, but as a simple plate Ill, having slots I5 adjacent its corners adapting it to be stitched to the trousers in the manner shown. The upper transverse bar I may be constructed similarly to the like element in the forms of the invention already described. Since the plate I4 is fixed to the trousers, the shirt holder when not in use may be left dangling from the trousers.

Figure l0 shows a form of the invention in which the trousers anchor is a plate I4 similar to that shown in Figure 8. The main diierence between this modiication and those previously described is that the chain I2 with the spring link i3 is substituted by a sinuous resilient integral connection I6 by the upper transverse bar I and the plate i4. The connection I6 has the functions cf a spring, permitting relative tilting of the transverse plate I and trousers anchor plate I4, as well as relative approach and recession of these elements in a longitudinal direction.

Figures 11 and 12 show further modifications of the invention in which instead of the shirt holding clip being above the trousers anchor, the two are made integral, the shirt holding clip I1 being formed of a bent metallic member in front of and integral with the trousers anchor plate I8. In use, the plate I8 is sewed to the trousers with the shirt holding clip inward toward the body. The shirt is gripped at a lower portion than it would be in the case of any of the previously described orms of the invention.

In Figure 12, which is the simplest form of the invention, a single clip I9 is provided having a transverse shirt holding bar as its front face and a trousers anchor plate 2| as its back face, the latter being adapted to be stitched to the fly of the trousers with the bar 20 facing inward toward the body. The sliding detent ID, in this form of the invention, is mounted on the rear of the holding bar and arragned to slide longitudinally in the direction of pull of the shirt.

While I have in the above description disclosed what believe to be practical embodiments of my invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the details or constructions as shown and described are illustrative and not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. Shirt holder comprising a pair of clamps in spaced parallel relation, one for the shirt, the other for the trousers, and a pair of flexible members normally of equal length suspending one clamp from the other, pivotally connected to said clamps at equidistant points, forming with them a jointed parallelogram.

2. Shirt holder as claimed in claim l, said suspending members each including a resilient elongatable portion.

3. Shirt holder as claimed in claim l, said suspending members comprising chains.

4. Shirt holder as claimed in claim 1, said suspending members each including a chain and a spring at some point in the line of suspension.

5. Shirt holder including a pair of attaching elements, flexibly connected, one for the shirt the other for the trousers, at least the first of said elements comprising a U-shaped clip adapted to embrace the edge of the front opening of the shirt and having a slidabl'e detent on at least one side thereof constituting a point of engagement of said clip With said shirt.

6. Shirt holder comprising a pair of attaching elements, exibly connected, one for the shirt the other for the trousers, at least the rst of said elements beingl a clamp including a U-shaped clip equipped on one of its inner sides With a sliding detent between which and the opposite side of said clip the shirt is adapted to be yieldingly gripped.

7. Shirt holder including a pair of attaching elements, one for the shirt the other for the trousers, means connecting said elements With limited freedom of movement, at least the first of said elements comprising a clip adapted t0 embrace the edge of the front opening of the shirt and having a slidable detent on at least one side thereof constituting a point of engagement of said clip with said shirt.

HERMAN COI-IN. 

